One of the advantages to owning a nearly-obsolete PC is that you know off the bat that the latest and greatest games won’t run on it. So rather than spend $49.99 on the latest releases, which, let’s be frank, are usually not that good, you can hit the bargain shelf and find games for $10 or less. You’ve heard me talk about this before, as the “kielbasa sandwich in Chiodo’s” effect: it may not be a great sandwich, but it was only $2, so who cares?
My favorite bargain rack, currently, is the one at Electronics Boutique. EB is already predisposed to dump their PC game stock — the real money is in consoles, after all — so you can find some great deals on preowned PC games there. This weekend I picked up four titles, three of which I’ve been actually able to play.
Myst III: Exile ($4.99)
I’m enjoying this. It’s been a while — years — since I’ve played any of the Myst games. Some of the mystery of the larger game is dissipated off the bat by the presentation of the plot on a silver platter, but perhaps that is to be expected of a sequel. Once you’re past the cheesy dialogue, though, the game has the right feel.
(more…)
